Justine Germo NZWEUNDJI

Institution

Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies/ Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation

Division of Research, Promotion and Innovation

Yaounde III, Plateau Atemengue, P.O. Box 6163 Yaounde-Cameroon

Research Interests

Tissue culture and production of secondary metabolites,
Inventories of ecosystems and plant diversity, harvest technology and collection of species.

Domestication and characterization of species, development of regeneration protocols,

Soil microbiology, molecular biology,

Science communication, science advice, Science policy.

Topics to speak on:

Biodiversity, Sustainable development, Biotechnology, Natural resources, Food security, Traditional medicine and Africa pharmacopoeia, Science communication, Sccience Advice, Science policy, Science Diplomacy, Open science,

Words of Wisdom

Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination ”MAE JEMISON”

Biography

Dr NZWEUNDJI Justine Germo is a Plant Biotechnologist at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM). Justine doubles as the Deputy Head of the Laboratory of Botany and Traditional Medicine, and Chief of Service at the Division of Research, Promotion and Innovation of IMPM. She is bilingual with fluency in English and French. She is a gender advocate and science policy trainer with extensive experience in field work, visits, and travelled widely covering over 11 countries. She has over 10 years’ experience in vegetative propagation techniques including cutting, marcotting, grafting, tissues culture and molecular markers assessment. Justine is an awardee of the prestigious UNESCO-l’Oréal fellowship for her PhD research in US, Tropical Research and Educational Center, University of Florida in 2011, and Alabama A&M University in 2013. She won the prize of best junior research scientist of IMPM in 2015. Since 2017, she has been a member of the steering committee of the Africa Chapter of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA). She is actively involved in training of young researchers and supervising of students from Cameroon Universities. In early 2018, she received a postdoctoral research fellow at Geisenheim Hoschule University in Germany through TWAS-DFG. She is a 2022 fellow of University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS)/ She is a cohort 5 of the African Science Leadership Programme 2019. Justine is member of several scientific organization such as Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), Cameroon Professional Research-Oriented Women” (CaPROW), Cameroon Bioscience Society (CBS), Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists (CAYS, as pioneer President) and Global Young Academy (GYA) co-lead of the working group Women in Science. She is editor of Scientific African (Elsevier) and Co-Editor of a book ‘’Responding to disease outbreak in Cameroon: Lessons from COVID-19’’ published by Rüdiger Köppe (Germany).

Awards

2011 and 2013: International award for PhD for Women In Science by UNESCO-l’Oréal.

2015: Award Charles Thé, during Annual Conference of Cameroon Biosciences Society.

2015: Award for Best Junior researcher at the Institute of Medical and Medicinal Research during the fifth edition of The Week of Excellence of Scientific Research and Innovation in Cameroon (JERSIC 2015).

2016: National Laureate and public prize of “Ma These en 180s”.

2018: 1st prize for Best oral presentation at the Center of Research of Plant and Traditional Medicine. 2016: National Laureate of “Ma These en 180s”. 2016: Public prize of “Ma These en 180s”. 2015: Award for Best Junior researcher at the Institute of Medical and Medicinal Research during the fifth edition of The Week of Excellence of Scientific Research and Innovation in Cameroon (JERSIC 2015). 2015: Award Charles Thé, of “Ma These en 180s”, during Annual Conference of Cameroon Biosciences Society.